Sketchy Memories [EDEN]

[Emory Williams]

It had been several weeks since his return but he was still wrapped up in paperwork. Proving he was indeed alive, those were his galleons thank you very much, and where on earth had the ministry hidden his meagre belongings?

He’d been sitting with the world’s dumbest ministry official all morning, a headache steadily building behind his eyes and he was this close to just storming out and be damned all this stifling nonsense.

Yes, his name was Emory Williams. Yes he’d changed his name at 18. No it was none of the Ministry’s business as to why. Yes he felt fine. No he didn’t feel changed at all. Could he please just sign the papers and leave now? Why not?!

Emory let his head fall on to the desk and groaned.

“Please take this slip and go to Booth 6,” droned the official. Emory dutifully took the proffered paper and stood, walking dejectedly towards the designated area. As he walked through the Atrium, he noticed a large wall covered with drawings standing proudly in the room. People were standing by it and whispering and Emory moved closer, intrigued. He stood, mouth open in awe as he took in the monument before him. Someone had drawn a lot of pictures and not just any pictures, they were portraits. And they were damn good ones at that.

Emory tilted his head wondering why someone would draw all those pictures before starting as he recognized his own face staring back at him. He stepped forward, eyebrows creasing in confusion, studying the rugged face and dark eyes on the paper. That was definitely him. Merlin, was this for them? A memorial for the victims of the Flux? Who had done this? The amount of work…it was incredible. And what a waste. They weren’t even dead. He spotted the signature in the corner but couldn’t make out much more than an ‘E’ and maybe a ‘T’.. or was that an ‘F’?

He grabbed a passing Ministry worker. “Hey, who did these?” he asked gruffly.

“Miss Eden Fletcher did, sir,” the frazzled man replied. “I believe she works for Magical Law Enforcement,”

Emory blinked, letting go of the official who scuttled away glancing nervously at the obviously crazy Returned man. “Eden Fletcher…” Emory recalled a young girl who always seemed to be with Max, causing trouble… though she had helped save Alex… As with most people he had known before he disappeared, he had trouble picturing them grown up and working, let alone creating such detailed work.

He looked down at the scrap of paper in his hand, shrugged and changed direction, heading for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. After asking a few people for directions, he finally found a young woman who could not be Eden Fletcher. No way could that little haunted waif have ended up like this.

“Excuse me Miss, I’m looking for Eden Fletcher? Could you point me in the right direction?”

[Eden Fletcher]

It had been an odd few weeks,what with the return of her visions and the flux victims, including her grandfather. Eden was trying to avoid the older gentleman as much as she could. He hadn't been a pleasant man before he'd disappeared and he'd been even worse upon his return. He was more than a little off his rocker and very displeased with his granddaughter who had taken a unsuitable profession for a woman. He'd demanded that Eden quit her job as magical sketch artist and marry a man he found eligible. Eden laughed in his face told him no over her dead body and had him escorted out of the department.

“Excuse me Miss, I’m looking for Eden Fletcher? Could you point me in the right direction?”

Eden looked up from her wanted poster. Eden knew the man. She'd spent hours examining photos of him when she'd done the portrait for the tenth anniversary of the great disappearance. She would have known him even if she hadn't done his portrait. She'd seen his face in her head the day they all returned. She'd seen them all. For a second, Eden's eyes took on the haunted far away look they had when she'd been little. It lasted a mere moment, before she vanished thoughts of visions and stood up.

"Hello, I'm Eden. You saw the sketch didn't you, I think the ministry should really take them down now, or at least get your permission to display it. Please, take a seat," Eden said waiving towards the visitor's chair in the corner of her cubicle.

[Emory Williams]

"Hello, I'm Eden. You saw the sketch didn't you, I think the ministry should really take them down now, or at least get your permission to display it. Please, take a seat," Eden said waiving towards the visitor's chair in the corner of her cubicle.

Emory blinked in disbelief even as he sat down with a contented sigh. He'd been running around on his feet all morning, it was nice to finally sit down. “Eden. Eden Fletcher?” There was no way he was ever going to get used to seeing people he had known as children all grown up. “The same Eden Fletcher who used to try and sneak into all our secret meetings?” he shook his head, “I don’t believe you. Look at you!”

He certainly was. Gone were the haunted eyes and waifish look and instead he was faced with, well suffice to say it, Eden Fletcher had turned out very well. He scowled at his own thoughts, chiding himself for even letting himself think such things when he was twenty years her senior… except now he wasn’t was he…? Still. It was better not to think that way at all. He was still half expecting to disappear again every time he used any form of transportation. He supposed it would be a long time before he stopped checking to make sure he was alive… he paused, lost in thought before he remembered she had mentioned the sketches.

“The sketches. Yes. I saw them. They’re bloody good you know. Bit odd seeing my face on a memorial but you caught my rugged charm pretty well,” he said with a grin as he shook off his more morbid thoughts. “And since when has the Ministry ever cared about what us mere subjects thought? Shit. You’re Ministry aren’t you? Sorry.” He said, not really sorry at all. Well perhaps a little for insinuating she didn’t care. He was sure she did. After all, she had been the one to bring up the subject of permission in the first place. But as for the bureaucrats… well he’d happily show them what he thought of them.

“Anyway, I just came out of curiosity really. Knew you before and all that so thought I’d come and say hello. And I also needed to escape the tediousness of all the paperwork they’re making us go through downstairs. I can leave if you’re busy though. Would hate to be a bother.”

[Eden Fletcher]

Emory Williams was in Eden’s cubicle. 12 year old Eden would have died with excitement. Adult Eden was calm, polite but friendly as she offered him her visitor’s chair. During the demon wars Eden had a bit of a crush on the black watch member. He might have been 20 years older than her then but he was a hero. She had wanted to be him when she grew up.

Eden. Eden Fletcher?” There was no way he was ever going to get used to seeing people he had known as children all grown up. “The same Eden Fletcher who used to try and sneak into all our secret meetings?” he shook his head, “I don’t believe you. Look at you!”


Eden grinned at him, pleased that he remembered her. She’d only met him a few times. Mostly she had heard stories of him or seen him from her various hiding places. She didn’t think he’d remember her. She’d been a tiny little thing barely above four feet with a tangled mat of curls.

“A wonder what 17 years can do for a girl,” she joked. Eden took in the sight of Emory. Merlin he had glorious hair. He hadn’t aged a bit but now Eden understood all of the sighs and lingering glances women had given him during the war. She had admired his battle prowess not his looks.

The sketches. Yes. I saw them. They’re bloody good you know. Bit odd seeing my face on a memorial but you caught my rugged charm pretty well,” he said with a grin as he shook off his more morbid thoughts. “And since when has the Ministry ever cared about what us mere subjects thought? Shit. You’re Ministry aren’t you? Sorry.”

“Please, I’m barely ministry. All I do is sketch people’s faces for law enforcement. I doubt a third of the politicians know my position exists,” Eden pointed out. “I did the sketches for the 10 year anniversary. I think the ministry has had them long enough. I think I might just take them down. After all they are mine.”


“Anyway, I just came out of curiosity really. Knew you before and all that so thought I’d come and say hello. And I also needed to escape the tediousness of all the paperwork they’re making us go through downstairs. I can leave if you’re busy though. Would hate to be a bother.”


“You’re not bothering me at all. In fact you’re saving me from utter bored. Sometimes there isn’t much to do but wait for someone to use my skills. No one has summoned me to sketch a perp. Want to go get a coffee or something? I can catch you up on 17 years of gossip,”